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By Amit Baruah
`Tommy' Suharto at the first day of his trial for murder at a central Jakarta court on Wednesday.
SINGAPORE March 20.The trial of Tommy Suharto opened today in Jakarta amid unprecedented interest as he did not enter a plea to the charge of killing a Supreme Court judge, Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, in July 2001. Mr. Tommy's trial is being watched closely as it is a major test not just for the prosecution but for the judiciary whose links to the Suharto clan are well known. One of Mr. Tommy's lawyers alleged that her client was being subjected to "character assassination" by the media. "We call on the press to report this trial fairly so that there is no longer any trial by the press," the lawyer said in a statement which the junior Suharto had asked her to read. If the youngest son of the former Indonesian dictator, Gen. Suharto, is found guilty of murder, he could face the death penalty. Kartasasmita, had sentenced Mr. Tommy to an 18-month jail term in a land scandal. Security was, as expected, tight for the trial now adjourned to March 27. The prosecutor, Andi Rachman Sabar, read out the indictment, which covered the charges of murder, illegal possession of arms and evading arrest to avoid serving the 18-month jail sentence in the land case. "The defendant Hutomo Mandala Putra (as Tommy is formally known) persuaded other defendants.... to propose and plan the murder of the Supreme (Court) judge Syafiuddin Kartasasmita," the indictment said. Mr. Tommy was arrested (some say he turned himself in) in November 2001 after being on the run for about a year following his conviction. It is unusual that a member of the powerful Suharto clan is standing trial. Gen. Suharto was not prosecuted because the courts declared him medically unfit to stand trial. The onus is now on the President, Megawati Sukarnoputri, and her Government to ensure that the prosecution presents a robust case against Mr. Tommy. For Ms. Megawati, the Tommy Suharto case is both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge lies in ensuring that the prosecution does its job properly and the opportunity comes with a possible conviction — to be used for electoral advantages. There is little doubt that the conviction of Mr. Tommy will be a fillip to Indonesian democracy, which is yet to firm up after 32 years of dictatorship by Gen. Suharto.
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